You'll Never Be Alone
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: "I don't love anyone else, Nightwing." "I know, Artemis. But maybe he's seen something you can't. Maybe he thinks you're meant to be with someone else." "I'm meant to be with Wally."


**A/N: To be completely honest, I was reading over my old fic "Some Call It Destiny", and I wanted to write a quiet sequel to it. I mean that in the way that it loosely follows the original concept (which means going to read it first would be a pretty good idea, but isn't necessary).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any related characters.**

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**You'll Never Be Alone**

She'd made her way to Blüdhaven without losing her cool. Artemis was actually amazed she'd managed to keep her composure for this long, but she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it once she saw him because then she'd just collapse in his ever-comforting arms and let him hold her up and keep her steady in such a shaky, whirling world.

He opened up the garage door to spot her standing there in the cold with one of Wally's jackets draped across her shoulders and pulled tightly around her body. "Hey, Artemis." Getting a better look at her face as she looked into his masked eyes, he asked with concern, "Are you alright? You're pale."

The world on her shoulders was too heavy, and she fell into him, realizing that everything was coming apart. She lost Wally. She didn't do anything wrong, she swore by it up and down, cross her heart and hope to die. Artemis didn't do anything wrong-

Dick caught her without missing a beat, and he struggled to get her inside and onto his makeshift bed. She needed help, he knew that much, but with what was a mystery. There were icy tears on her face and her eyes were red. He thought he could see a vein pulsing in her neck, but it might've just been the angle. "Stay here for a second, I'm just going to close the garage door." She sniffled her "okay", and he moved like a pack of wolves was on his tail to get the damn place sealed up again.

In a minute, he was back by her side. "Just relax, Artemis, everything'll be alright." Dick reached down and brushed strands of that beautiful blonde hair from her face, her ponytail obviously long forgotten, a distant friend; he knelt down. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Her lower lip quivered. She wasn't crying. She wasn't sobbing. There were tears on her face, but she refused to let more fall. Artemis was too used to being strong to turn into that weak little girl that she used to be. "Wally said we were over." She drew in a sharp breath, like saying it aloud had been like putting a knife right through her chest mercilessly. "He said I was in love with someone else." Her eyes scrunched shut, the blue-gray disappearing under dark lashes. "But I'm not. I love Wally."

Dick just knelt there, half incredulous, half pitying.

"I love Wally. I swear to God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost, I only love Wally." Tears continued to bubble in her eyes as she sat on the edge of the bed, feet tucked under her with her hands on her knees and Dick's hands over hers. "I love him so much."

"I know, I believe you," murmured Dick, hoping to settle her down. "No one doubts that you love Wally. And I can promise you that Wally loves you too, Artemis."

"Then why did he make me go? Why did he take Brucely? Can't things just stay the way they were?" Her voice was shaky, but she had better control over her emotions and that struggle was lessened. "I quit so I could have a stable, honest life. I wanted to be normal and I wanted to have Wally be normal with me."

"I know."

"And now I've lost everything. I can only go back. And I still have to go on that mission and I know you and Kaldur need me, but I need Wally. I need to know I can come back home and love him and start a whole new life with him." Artemis swallowed a sob; she was stronger than that. "I want to start a family with him, Dick. I love Wally."

"I know, Artemis. And you can talk it out with Wally, but you need to calm down right now, please," asked Dick softly, wanting her quiet and peaceful right now more than anything. He knew she was weak and feeling so alone, and he wanted nothing more than to remedy that situation and take away all her sorrows...

"I don't love anyone else, Nightwing."

"I know, Artemis." Dick shuffled softly for a moment, breaking eye-contact with her. "But maybe he's seen something you can't. Maybe he thinks you're meant to be with someone else."

"I'm meant to be with Wally," she growled at him, her gravelly voice taking on an even deeper, more demanding tone; mild rage stole her sobriety, yet it was not directed at Wally- rather, it was pointed at Nightwing.

"Artemis, I'm sure Wally wouldn't have done it if he didn't think it was what's best for you. He loves you, no one can dare doubt that. He's crazy about you. But maybe he believes this is what's best for you."

She was rigid like stone but felt like she couldn't stay so stoic forever. Artemis wanted to break and crumble and crash and shatter. She was ready for her departure, because in this self-destructive world, she didn't know how she'd get along without Wally to make her smile and laugh. He made her feel loved and wanted. He made her feel worth something after years and years of being beaten down and beating herself down. She felt like she meant something to someone.

And she'd lost that feeling.

She ran fingers through her hair, peeling her hands away from Dick's. Hot tears streamed down her windswept face, burning her still-cold skin. Artemis broke, crumbled, crashed, and shattered. Five years of her life, gone in the blink of an eye.

And she didn't love anyone else.

Nightwing moved himself to sit up on the bed beside her, and he pulled her in tight against himself, feeling her burning tears on his bare chest. The movement of her lips mouthing silent sobs brought a fire to his body and drew a deeper sadness to his heart. She really was lost in the world now. "Artemis, shh, it's okay, it's alright, I'm here." He didn't need to say it. There was a reason she'd came to him first.

"I'm..." She swallowed hard and never pulled her face away from his chest. The heat was so familiar and yet so foreign; she almost fell apart again. "I'm all alone now. I don't know where to go, what to do. He's all I ever had..."

"You'll never be alone," promised Dick solemnly, feeling her arms wrap around him in a helpless attempt to hold herself up to her own accord. "You've got me and the team and the League and your mother. We're all just one big family, Artemis. We'll never leave you alone."

"I know," she responded softly, her breathing slowing finally. "But I want him."

"You can talk with him in the morning," insisted Dick, moving slightly to lay her down in his bed, hoping the lumpy mattress would allow her a good night's sleep. She went down fairly easily, to tired and empty to fight back. "I'll call him first thing when I get up and let him know you're safe."

"Nightwing-"

"You need to rest," he urged, standing up and giving her a longing look. "You're a mess and we can't actually do anything about it tonight, okay?"

"Can you stay with me?"

He knew he shouldn't. Dick knew he needed to get back to Gotham and take a quick patrol, check on Tim and Babs, make sure they were safe. He did none of those things. "Alright."

A half-smile perched on her face as she found comfort in being wrapped up in his warm arms. She needed someone to hold her tonight and she was glad Dick was there and that he'd never let her be alone.

Dick found that Artemis fell asleep quickly when she wasn't quite traught; still, he didn't leave her side. He kept her close and kept her warm, at one point even kissing her blonde mane and letting her subconscious know the truth: "I love you, Artemis."

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**A/N: I will clear up one thing- Wally did not break up with Artemis for Dick; Wally understood that they were meant for each other, and Dick just so happened to actually have feelings and knew where he stood. It was not planned or anything of the sorts.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review (:**

**~Sky**


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